This engaging short course introduces students to the nature, place, and function of religion in the African tradition.

Students will explore the African philosophy of religion and dive into the theologies, episcopacies, and practices of two leading African religions, Yoruba Ifa and Haitian Vodou.

By combining an exploration of both a continental and a diasporic religion, this course will facilitate philosophical, theological and historical analyses of African religious life, allowing students to explore the political and social utility of religion in the African consciousness.

Tutor

Apeike Umolu is the founder of the African History Project. She is an educator and historian with over 15 years of experience supporting students in the attainment of academic excellence. Specialising in African history, she is a passionate historian and has undertaken historical studies at the University of Oxford. She researches extensively on West African political history and is working on her first book On Black Consciousness.

Course Outline

• Module 1: Introduction to African Religion
• Module 2: Divine and Supreme Beings – Pantheons of Orisha and Lwa
• Module 3: African Cosmologies and Ontologies
• Module 4: Oracles and Divination in the African Tradition
• Module 5: Episcopacies, Cults and Shrines
• Module 6: Moral Philosophy and Deity Agency in the African Tradition